Battle of the Yser

The Battle of the Yser occurred from 16 to 31 October 1914 during the Race to the Sea campaign of World War I. The battle at the Yser River allowed for the Belgian Army to retain a sliver of territory in Flanders, preventing the German Empire from conquering the remaining 5% of Belgium not in their hands.

Battle
Abandoning the defense of Antwerp on 9 October, Belgian troops withdrew along the coast to the Yser Canal between Nieuport and Dixmunde, where they took up position on high embankments dominating low-lying land. The German 4th Army attacked, hoping to break through to the vital Channel ports of Boulogne and Calais. With battle raging, on 25 October King Albert I of Belgium ordered engineers to open the locks. As water flooded a wide area, German troops were forced to retreat or drown. The Belgians were left in possession of a coastal strip of their national territory that they held throughout the war.